Issue link: http://kusm-wichita.uberflip.com/i/781935
12 MANY CASES WICHITA CAN NOW BE TREATED IN Brian Pate, M.D., Chair of KU Wichita Pediatrics Shobana Kubendran, MBBS, Genetic Counselor and KU School of Medicine-Wichita Assistant Professor department attract a metabolic geneticist, Dr. Carolina Beltran to Wichita. "If we hadn't had the building blocks in place, we wouldn't have had a chance of attracting a metabolic geneticist," Pate said. Continued on page 14 to a need he and colleagues saw for helping patients better understand and manage the condition. "Some patients should still travel elsewhere for expert care," Sivamurthy said. "But many cases can now be treated in Wichita. I just kept thinking how much easier it would be for families if we could handle these cases locally." "It's hard enough to look after healthy children. With a special needs child, the time and burden involved increases exponentially." Dr. Brian Pate, chair of KU Wichita Pediatrics, said the clinics and the initiative behind them show the commitment doctors and staff have to patient care. "This is a result of this department's sense of accountability to the kids in our region," Pate said. "Our docs are driven to find solutions for patients' needs. That has paid dividends." KU Wichita Pediatrics faculty member and genetic counselor Shobana Kubendran has been offering genetic counseling in partnership with specialists in Arkansas since 2010. Having the genetic and metabolic clinic has helped KU School of Medicine-Wichita's pediatrics Two specialty clinics operated by the KU School of Medicine-Wichita's Department of Pediatrics are filling regional gaps in care for young patients with asthma and metabolic conditions, providing not only diagnosis and treatment but also saving families from having to travel out of town for care. Dr. Sid Sivamurthy, KU Wichita Pediatrics assistant professor, nurse Julie Wellner and dietitian Charlotte Buchanan, are expanding an existing clinic for children with PKU deficiency (a rare genetic condition) adding many other metabolic conditions. Sivamurthy also began a weekly asthma clinic three years ago to respond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Clinics to Provide Local Care for Kids PEDIATRICS KU WICHITA